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Venue

Organization

Program

Speakers

Abstract Submission

Registration

Venue

The meeting will be held at i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto.

Organization

Organization Committee
Bárbara Ferreira - Nanomedicines & Translational Drug Delivery
Beatriz Pereira - Immunology, Cancer & GlycoMedicine
Bruna Araújo - Addiction Biology
Catarina Rodrigues - Cancer Drug Resistance
Daniel Carvalho - Nanomedicines & Translational Drug Delivery
Duarte Silva - NanoBiomaterials for Targeted Therapies
Eduarda Gomes - Immunology, Cancer & GlycoMedicine
Filipa Campos - BioEngineered Surfaces
Guilherme Faria - Immunology, Cancer & GlycoMedicine
João Guimarães - Synapse Biology
Natália Teixeira - Nanomedicines & Translational Drug Delivery
Nicole Mineiro - Genetic Diversity
Rafaela Nogueira - Immunology, Cancer & GlycoMedicine
Rafaela Seixas - Synapse Biology
Rita Silva - Differentiation & Cancer
Thales Costa - Immune Sensing & Signaling Dynamics

Scientific Committee
Ana Eufrásio - Synapse Biology
Ana Paula Pêgo - NanoBiomaterials for Targeted Therapies
Ana Rita Araujo - Ageing & Aneuploidy
Andreia Pereira - Advanced Graphene Biomaterials
Ângela Fernandes - Immunology, Cancer & GlycoMedicine
Bruno Pereira - Differentiation & Cancer
Bruno Sarmento - Nanomedicines & Translational Drug Delivery
Camila Portugal - Glial Cell Biology
Céu Figueiredo - Microbes & Cancer
Cristian Marchant - Epithelial Polarity & Cell Division
Cristina Barrias - Bioengineered 3D Microenvironments
Daniela Vasconcelos – Neuro & Skeletal Circuits
Didier Cabanes - Molecular Microbiology
Diogo Castro - Stem Cells & Neurogenesis
Eurico Sá - Epithelial Polarity & Cell Division
Flávia Castro - Tumour & Microenvironment Interactions
Inês Alves - Immunology, Cancer & GlycoMedicine
Isabel Amaral - NanoBiomaterials for Targeted Therapies
Joana Marques - Bioengineered Surfaces
Joana Tavares - Host-Parasite Interactions
Liliana Oliveira - Cell Activation & Gene Expression
Maria Inês Almeida - Tumour & Microenvironment Interactions
Maria Joana - Synapse Biology
Maria José Oliveira - Tumour & Microenvironment Interactions
Nuno Santarém - Host-Parasite Interactions
Paula Parreira - BioEngineered Surfaces
Pedro Moura Alves - Immune Sensing & Signaling Dynamics
Raquel Almeida - Differentiation & Cancer
Rosalina Fonseca - Plasticity & Learning
Rúben Pereira - Biofabrication
Salomé Pinho - Immunology, Cancer & GlycoMedicine
Sandra Sousa - Cell Biology of Bacterial Infections
Sandra Tavares - Cytoskeletal Regulation & Cancer
Sílvia Costa - Cell Biology of Bacterial Infections
Tiago Duarte - Hematopoiesis & Microenvironments
Vasco Galhardo - Pain Neurobiology

Program

Day 1 | 2nd October 2025

09h15 - 09h45 | Registration
i3S main hall

09h45 - 10h00 | Welcome Session
Mariano Gago Auditorium

10h00 - 11h25 | Session I
Mariano Gago Auditorium

10h00 - 11h00 | KEYNOTE SPEAKER I - From motion to connection – how dynamics of cell migration shape the developing brain
Carla Gomes da Silva, Assistant Professor Developmental Neurobiology, Brain Institute UMC, Utrecht, Netherlands

11h00 - 11h15 | Orbitostriatal Pathway Dysfunction Reinforces Impulsive Choices in Male Rats with Neuropathic Pain
Mariana Nunes, PhD student

11h15 - 11h25 | Sponsor talk – BGI Tech Solutions

11h25 - 12h00 | Coffee Break
i3S main hall

12h00 - 13h00 | Session I cont.
Mariano Gago Auditorium

12h00 - 12h15 | From Simulation to Experiment: Reinforcement Learning for Real-Time Closed Loop Neuromodulation
Eduardo de Carvalho, PhD student

12h15 - 12h30 | Engineered Matrix Mechanics Regulate Microglial Activation and Inflammation
Miguel Morais, PhD student

12h30 - 13h00 | Roundtable - Imposter Syndrome in Research: mental health challenges of a PhD life
Dra. Inês Brigas; Dra. Maria José Oliveira; Dr. Henrique Duarte

13h00 - 14h00 | Lunch

14h00 - 15h00 | Poster Session I
i3S main hall

15h00 - 16h45 | Session II
Mariano Gago Auditorium

15h00 - 15h15 | Transferrin in combination with induction chemotherapy improves outcomes in mouse models of acute myeloid leukemia
Marta Lopes, PhD student

15h15 - 15h30 | Reprogramming CD8+ T cell branched N-glycosylation limits exhaustion, improving the efficacy of adoptive cell therapies for cancer
Catarina Azevedo, PhD student

15h30 - 15h45 | Production of unknown proteins in cancer through intronic polyadenylation
Inês Reis-Claro, PhD student

15h45 - 16h45 | Roundtable - Navigating towards AI: the next generation of innovation
Dr. Arlindo Oliveira; Dr. Paulo Aguiar; Dr. Bruno Cavadas; Dra. Susana Magalhães

16h45 - 18h00 | i3Sounds performance and coffee break
i3S main hall

Day 2 | 3rd October 2025

09h30 - 10h30 | Session III
Mariano Gago Auditorium

09h30 - 09h45 | 3 vs 3: Development of a triple synergic chemo/chemodynamic/hyperthermia nano-therapy against triple negative breast cancer
Tiago Ribeiro, PhD student

09h45 - 10h00 | Biomaterials and human hepatic cells: the perfect duo for modelling human liver fibrosis in vitro
Ana Margarida Carvalho, PhD student

10h00 - 10h15 | Unlocking the power of extrinsic stimuli-responsive NPs for the management of infected chronic wounds
Filipa Campos, PhD student

10h15 - 10h30 | Glycans in the loss of immunological tolerance: Branched glycosylation as key regulator of γδT cells function in autoimmunity
Beatriz Santos-Pereira, PhD student

10h30 - 11h30 | Poster Session II and Coffee Break
i3S main hall

11h30 - 13h00 | Session III cont.
Mariano Gago Auditorium

11h30 - 12h00 | Roundtable - Where to After the PhD? Career Paths in Academia vs. Industry
Dra. Joana Caldeira; Dra. Vanda Pinto; Dr. Diogo Silvério

12h00 - 13h00 | KEYNOTE SPEAKER II - Employing In Vivo Modelling to Discover Therapeutic Targets in Blood Malignancies
Kamil R Kranc, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, United Kingdom

13h00 - 14h00 | Lunch

14h00 - 16h00 | Session IV
Mariano Gago Auditorium

14h00 - 15h00 | KEYNOTE SPEAKER III – The role intracellular innate immune DNA sensing in health and disease
Nelson Gekara, Full Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Infection Immunology at the Medical Center University of Freiburg, Germany & at Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

15h00 - 15h15 | Biochemical insights into CadC: a metal-sensing regulator of virulence in Listeria monocytogenes
Diana Meireles, PhD student

15h15 - 15h30 | The interplay between RNA binding proteins ZFP36L1 and ZFP36L2 balances thymic epithelial cell differentiation to control thymus function
Francisco Sobral, PhD student

15h30 - 16h00 | Roundtable - Building a Career with Purpose
Dra. Paula Perez; Dra. Fernanda Correia; Dr. Pedro Moura Alves, Dra. Ana Salgado

16h15 - 17h45 | Workshops

18h00 - 18h15 | Closing Session and Awards
Mariano Gago Auditorium

18h30 | Chill Out - BARANANU performance
i3S Canteen

Workshops

More information >>

Workshop 1 | Crafting the Perfect Pitch: Communicate Your Research with Impact
Dra. Patricia Henriques (Meeting Room B)

Workshop 2 | Confident Public Speaking for Researchers: Mastering Oral Presentations - cancelled

Workshop 3 | Career Planning for PhDs: Tools and Mindsets for Long-Term Success
Dra. Olga Sin (Meeting Room C)

Workshop 4 | Scientific Illustration: Tips, Tools & Tricks for Stunning Visuals
Dr. Gil Costa (Meeting Room D)

Workshop 5 | Networking That Works: Building Meaningful Professional Connections
Dra. Maria Inês Ferreira (Meeting Room A)

Workshop 6 | Scientific Writing in the Age of ChatGPT: Challenges and Opportunities
Dr. Paulo Aguiar (Meeting Room E)

Roundtables

Navigating towards AI: the next generation of innovation

Dr. Arlindo Oliveira – Arlindo Oliveira obtained his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was a Fulbright scholar. He was invited to be a professor at MIT and a researcher at INESC, CERN, the Electronics Research Laboratory of UC Berkeley, the Berkeley Cadence Laboratories and the University of Tokyo. He is a distinguished professor of IST, president of INESC, distinguished visiting professor at Macau University of Science and Technology, member of the board of Caixa Geral de Depósitos and a researcher at INESC-ID. He authored four books, translated into different languages, and more than two hundred articles in international conferences and journals, in the areas of algorithms, artificial intelligence, machine learning, bioinformatics and computer architecture.

Dr. Paulo Aguiar – Paulo Aguiar graduated in Physics (Engª Física Tecnológica) from Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Portugal, and completed the course work in the Biophysics Doctoral Program at the Institute for Biophysics and Biomedical Engineering, University of Lisbon. Currently, he is a Principal Investigator at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), where he leads the Neuroengineering and Computational Neuroscience Lab (NCN).

Dr. Rui V. Simões - Rui V. Simões joined i3S as an associate researcher in the Neuroengineering and Computational Neuroscience Laboratory in 2022. In 2023, he established and has since led the Preclinical MRI Unit. Rui holds a BSc in Biochemistry (University of Coimbra, Portugal, 2003) and has specialized training in preclinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and spectroscopy of cancer models, acquired during his PhD (University of Coimbra, Portugal, and Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain, 2004–2009) and postdoctoral research (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA, 2010–2013). His research focuses on the quantitative characterization of cellular and tissue metabolism under pathological conditions, spanning fetal growth restriction (Fetal Medicine Research Center, Barcelona, Spain, 2013–2017), neurodegeneration (Clinic Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, 2015–2017), and oncology (Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal, 2017–2022). At i3S, his work integrates the Neurobiology and Neurologic Disorders and Cancer programs with a translational imaging focus, contributing to the Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center “Raquel Seruca” consortium and fostering collaborations with leading clinical centers in the region, including São João and Santo António hospitals.

Dra. Susana Magalhães - Susana Magalhães is the Coordinator of the Unit of Responsible Conduct in Research (URCR) at i3s. She has a PhD in Bioethics from the Portuguese Catholic University and is a researcher in the areas of Narrative Medicine and Research Ethics and Integrity.

Where to After the PhD? Career Paths in Academia vs. Industry

Dra. Joana Caldeira – Joana got her PhD in Biomedicine at FMUP and currently is working in the Biofabrication research group at i3s. Joana has been interested in understanding the role of the extracellular matrix at the cancer/regeneration interface and in exploring the way it can be manipulated to recapitulate initial developmental stages, improving current regenerative therapies, namely of intervertebral disc disease. She has secured funding as Principal Investigator, including EUROSPINE, ON Foundation, AO Foundation, the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and the European Commission. She is also chair of the i3S Fundraising Team, as well as CEO and co-founder of FetalDisc, Lda.

Dra. Vanda Pinto – Vanda earned her PhD in Biomedicine at FMUP and is currently Project Manager in the Immunology, Cancer & Glycomedicine group, where she provides administrative, organisational, and compliance support for the Horizon Europe-funded GlycanTrigger project. She also assists in the management of the ERC Synergy-funded GlycanSwitch project.

Dr. Diogo Silvério - Diogo obtained his PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology at ICBAS and currently works as an application specialist for cellular and molecular biology at Enzifarma, focusing on helping customers overcome problems and finding new solutions for their research.

Building a Career with Purpose

Dra. Paula Perez - Paula López Pérez is the Career Development Unit Coordinator at Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S). Paula obtained the PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Minho (Portugal). Now she enjoys helping researchers to make conscious decisions about their future and to reach their full potential!

Dra. Fernanda Correia – Fernanda Correia is a psychologist specialised in career intervention and development. Since 2021, Fernanda has been leading a career development project for PhD students, which culminated in 2024 with the launch of UP Doctoral Careers (from Porto University), a resource center and platform supporting doctoral students and graduates in designing sustainable careers within and beyond academia. Her main responsibilities include program design, workshops, mentoring, and developing curricular units on self-knowledge, transversal skills, career transition, and employability.

Dr. Pedro Moura Alves – Dr. Pedro Moura-Alves joined the Graduated Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology (GABBA) at the University of Porto (Portugal). In 2005, moved to Boston (USA) to start his PhD research project, joining the group of Prof. Dr. Bruce Walker (Partners AIDS Research Center/Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School). Currently, Dr. Moura Alves is an independent group leader and ERA Chair Holder (ImmunoHub) at i3S.

Dra. Ana Salgado - Ana Salgado holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Minho University. She is now currently working at CIIMAR as the Head of Advanced Training and Career Office. She coordinated a pedagogical project to improve the quality of teaching and worked as a consultant. Ana developed several training courses for PhD supervisors, and other curricular units to PhD, master and bachelor students related with transversal and transferable skills.

Imposter Syndrome in Research: mental health challenges of a PhD life

Dra. Inês Brigas – Inês Brigas is clinical psychologist and she holds a master degree in Psicology from Porto university. She worked in the Oporto headquarters of APAV - Associação Portuguesa de Apoio à Vítima, where she tackled problems related with bullying and violence between the students of a local school. Now, she has been working for 3 years for a consulting company as a clinical psychologist. Her main responsibilities include providing counselling and psychotherapy to individuals and providing resilience training to groups. Also, she had worked with several students finishing their Masters or PhD programmes. Inês believes it is vital to address Impostor Syndrome and its impact on people’s lives, which is why she is one of our guests for this roundtable.

Dra. Maria José Oliveira - Maria José Oliveira holds a PhD in Health and Medical Sciences from Ghent University Hospital (Belgium), under the supervision of Prof Marc Mareel. In 2004, she took a PostDoc position at IPATIMUP, at the Cancer Genetics Group, under the supervision of Prof. Manuel Sobrinho-Simões and Prof. Raquel Seruca. In 2012, she established the Microenvironments in Cancer Cell Invasion Team and, finally, in January 2017, MJ Oliveira established the Tumour and Microenvironment Interactions Group at i3S. The Group is currently dedicated at understanding the role of the tumour microenvironment, particularly of immune cells, adipocytes and extracellular matrix components, on the modulation of cancer cell invasion and metastasis.

Dr. Henrique Duarte - Henrique Duarte holds a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology Applied to Health Sciences (ICBAS, University of Porto), funded by FCT and the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR). At the moment, he is Junior Researcher and Project Leader at i3S, and he has secured funding as PI in three competitive calls: 3rd edition "Prémio Francisco Augusto da Fonseca Dias e Maria José Melenas da Fonseca para Jovens Investigadores", and several FCT-funded projects. He has also integrated the organizing and scientific committees of national and international scientific meetings, and also serves as a reviewer for high impact scientific journals (Nature Communications, Molecular Oncology, Oncotarget, ect).

Speakers

Prof. Dr. Nelson Gekara, Full Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Infection Immunology at the Medical Center University of Freiburg, Germany & at Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

Prof. Dr. Nelson Gekara since early had highly interest in the study of immune systems. Thus, he did his PhD studies and Postdoc at Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (HZI) and Technical University Braunschweig in the field. Currently, he is a Full Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Infection Immunology at the Medical Center University of Freiburg, Germany & at Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. His team is working to understand how the innate immune and DNA repair systems are regulated and how they could be manipulated to improve health, as well as the role and mechanisms of the microbiota in health and disease

Carla G. Silva, University Medical Centre – Brain Institute – Utrecht, The Netherlands

Carla G. Silva is a Biologist graduated by the University of Coimbra, in Portugal. She did a postdoctoral training in developmental neurobiology at the University of Liege, in Belgium before becoming a group leader at the University Medical Centre in Utrecht were she currently studies neurovascular dynamics during brain development.

Kamil R Kranc, The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, United Kingdom

Professor Kamil R Kranc graduated in medicine from the Medical University of Silesia in 2000 and obtained a DPhil in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford in 2003. Following postdoctoral training in immunology and stem cell biology at Oxford, he was awarded a Beit Memorial Fellowship to establish his independent group. He then became a Group Leader at the University of Glasgow (2010-2013), before being appointed Professor at the University of Edinburgh (2013-2019) and, more recently, at the Barts Cancer Institute in London (2018-2023). He joined The ICR in December 2023. Professor Kranc is recognised for his pioneering contributions to experimental haemato-oncology and haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) biology. He discovered fundamental pathways controlling HSC function and multilineage haematopoiesis, and identified metabolic regulators, m6A RNA modification readers, and oxygen-sensing enzymes as therapeutic targets in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). His research has been supported by a Cancer Research UK Senior Fellowship and Programme Grant, as well as funding from Blood Cancer UK, The Barts Charity, the Medical Research Council, and The Royal Society.

Abstract Submission

The call for abstracts will be open until 15^th of August (notification of acceptance until 8^th of September). Participants must complete the registration or the work will not be considered. All oral communication submissions that are not selected for a talk will automatically be considered for a poster communication.

Types of presentations in this event:

Short Talk (oral): 12min presentation +3min discussion, with ppt., Auditorium Mariano Gago
Poster Presentation: 2 x 60min poster session on the second day; sessions are split in half to avoid overcrowding, i3S main entrance

Abstracts should be structured according to the template below.

Abstract layout >>

Abstract submission form >>